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Trevor Zegras

Canadiens, Ducks Discussed Potential Trevor Zegras Trade

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In many sports, trades that don’t occur can be just as captivating—if not more so—than those that do. A recent example of this involves the Montreal Canadiens, who were reportedly close to acquiring Trevor Zegras from the Anaheim Ducks during the 2024 NHL Draft, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in his column 32 Thoughts.

Friedman writes in his column that he’s never received clarity on why the deal didn’t take place, but he believes it had to with Ivan Demidov falling to the Canadiens as the fifth overall pick. Friedman asserted that Montreal wasn’t offering their fifth overall pick for Zegras, but he filled their immediate need for a younger top-six forward.

Although it’s hard to say with certainty, it’s easy to think Zegras would have fit in nicely with Martin St. Louis’s system in Montreal. St. Louis has been regarded as an offense-first coach and is credited for allowing sniper Cole Caufield to blossom when he took over behind the bench in 2021-22.

Zegras isn’t as highly praised as Caufield for putting pucks in the net, but he has been known as a capable point-producer when healthy. He’s scored 67 goals and 185 points in 265 games with Anaheim, including back-to-back 60-point campaigns from 2021 to 2023.

Unfortunately, his ability to stay healthy has been an issue for the past few years. Since the 2023-24 campaign began, Zegras has appeared in 85 games for the Ducks, equating to 52.79% of potential contests. Furthermore, his defensive shortcomings haven’t meshed well with Greg Cronin’s system, leading to a flurry of trade rumors during that stretch.

Still, it could be a trade that the Canadiens revisit this off-season. It is widely recognized that Zegras, Caufield, and Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils share a close friendship that dates back to their time with the U.S. National Team Development Program. It would be an interesting storyline to see at least two of them reunited on the same team.

Depending on how their postseason run turns out, Zegras would be an interesting candidate to usurp Alex Newhook as the team’s second-line center. That would give Montreal a bona fide top-six, taking some pressure off their first line, who has carried them on their shoulders this season.

Ducks’ Trevor Zegras Suspended Three Games

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The league’s Department of Player Safety announced today they’ve suspended Ducks center Trevor Zegras for three games for interference against Red Wings forward Michael Rasmussen. Zegras will remain on Anaheim’s active roster while serving the suspension and can return to the lineup on March 4 against the Oilers.

It’s the first suspension of Zegras’ five-year, 245-game career and the second incident that required any sort of supplemental discipline. He was fined $1.5K back in November 2022 for slashing then-Sharks defenseman Matt Benning.

This infraction, however, was far more egregious. The incident occurred late in the second period of last night’s overtime loss, during which Zegras laid a late hit that he left his feet to deliver, forcing his shoulder into Rasmussen’s head. Detroit head coach Todd McLellan said Rasmussen has since been listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury and isn’t traveling with the team for their game against the Wild tomorrow. On-ice officials failed to assess a penalty to Zegras on the play.

The most pertinent part of the league’s video explanation is transcribed here:

Players who are not in possession of the puck are never eligible to be checked. However, the intereference rule provides a brief window where the player who initiates the check while his opponent is in possession of the puck may finish the hit. This is not such a play. Here, Zegras begins his hitting motion after Zegras releases the puck, and contact is made outside the window where a check may be legally finished. In addition to the lateness, what causes this hit to rise to the level of supplemental discipline is the significant head contact on this play combined with the force. 

It’s hard to disagree with DoPS’ description of the play, although a three-game ban could be seen as steep for a first-time offender. It comes amid another injury-plagued and difficult offensive season for the 23-year-old, who has 7-9–16 through 34 games – a 17-goal, 39-point pace over 82 games. That’s a far cry from the back-to-back 60-point campaigns he put up leading into the 2023 offseason when he landed a three-year, $17.25MM deal after months on the RFA market. So far, it’s been a prudent move from general manager Pat Verbeek to hold out for a lower cap hit than expected for a player who finished second in Calder Trophy voting in 2022.

Zegras has looked better since returning from right knee surgery last month. Since coming off injured reserve, he has six points in 10 games, an even rating, and an average ice time of 17:15 per night. It’s not world-beating, but certainly a step in the right direction for the 6’0″ center, who again finds himself in trade rumors ahead of the March 7 deadline.

Without Zegras, Anaheim doesn’t have a healthy extra forward for tomorrow’s road game in Buffalo. They don’t have an open roster spot and would need to make a corresponding transaction to get one up from AHL San Diego.

East Notes: Byram, Grzelcyk, Lafreniere

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Between the pending jump in the salary cap over the next few seasons and the fact the Sabres are paying Owen Power $8.35MM, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News believes that blueliner Bowen Byram’s next contract could run past the $9MM range.  The 23-year-old has already matched his career high in points, notching 29 through Buffalo’s first 54 games.  He’s also averaging more than 23 minutes a night of playing time, a number that would also be a career-best if that holds up down the stretch.  Giving Byram that much would have the Sabres spending close to $30MM on their top three defenders but it would also give them plenty of upside at that position for a while.  Byram is a pending restricted free agent with salary arbitration eligibility this summer and will be owed a $4.62MM qualifying offer in late June.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • Earlier this month, the Penguins moved one of their pending unrestricted free agents on the back end when Marcus Pettersson was dealt to Vancouver. They still have another pending UFA blueliner in Matt Grzelcyk.  However, Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wonders if the fact that Pettersson is gone and that Grzelcyk has had a bounce-back year could mean that Pittsburgh could consider keeping him around beyond this season if they don’t get a compelling offer for him by the trade deadline.  The 31-year-old has 28 points in 57 games and is averaging over 20 minutes a night for the first time which is pretty good value on a one-year, $2.75MM contract signed last summer.
  • Larry Brooks of the New York Post suggests (subscription link) that the Rangers might want to consider trading winger Alexis Lafreniere, suggesting Anaheim’s Trevor Zegras as a possible target in a swap that wouldn’t be just one-for-one. Lafreniere got off to a solid start this season, earning himself a seven-year, $52.15MM extension in late October.  However, since the contract, he has just 25 points in 48 games, numbers that are decent while he’s still on his entry-level deal but expectations will be higher moving forward.  Brooks questions if the 23-year-old will be able to play to his full potential in New York, wondering if a swap of highly touted but underachieving young forwards might be the better way to go.

Snapshots: Zegras, Cozens, Timmins, Shine

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Ducks forward Trevor Zegras has been in trade speculation dating back to last season, a year in which he struggled and battled injuries.  That speculation isn’t going away as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports (video link) Anaheim is still listening to offers for the 23-year-old.  Unfortunately for them, Zegras has also battled injuries this season and has struggled when in the lineup.  A year ago, he had six goals and nine assists in 31 games, numbers that were underwhelming for a two-time 60-plus-point player.  However, that also happens to be his stat line so far this season which can’t help his value.  Zegras is signed through next season at a $5.75MM price tag and will be a restricted free agent with salary arbitration rights in the 2026 offseason.  Given his struggles, Anaheim may have to sell low if they opt to move him before March 7th or hope for a better market in the summer.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • Sabres center Dylan Cozens did not take part in practice today with what head coach Lindy Ruff called a lower-body aggravation, notes team reporter Jourdon LaBarber. His status for Saturday’s game against Nashville is up in the air as a result.  It has been a quiet year for Cozens who has 10 goals and 16 assists in 53 games, numbers that are underwhelming for one of their top-paid forwards which has resulted in plenty of trade speculation.
  • Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins won’t play on Thursday against Seattle due to an upper-body injury sustained on Tuesday versus Calgary, relays David Alter of The Hockey News. Timmins was able to return to the game last night but they’ve decided to shut him down at least for this next contest.  The 26-year-old has a goal and six assists in 44 games this season while averaging 16:25 per night.
  • The Red Wings announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned winger Dominik Shine to AHL Grand Rapids. Detroit signed the 31-year-old to a two-year, two-way deal last month, his first NHL contract which came on the heels of a strong first half with the Griffins that saw him record 32 points in 40 games.  Shine got into four games with Detroit while being up with the big club, picking up an assist and four hits in a little under nine minutes a night of playing time.

Ducks’ Brock McGinn Out For Season Following ACL Surgery, Trevor Zegras Activated

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Jan. 22: The Ducks announced later Tuesday that forward Trevor Zegras, who’d missed the last six weeks after undergoing right knee surgery, was activated from injured reserve. McGinn was already on IR and Anaheim had an open roster spot, so there was no corresponding transaction. Zegras suited up in last night’s game against the Panthers, recording a minus-two rating and four shots in 15:48 of ice time. His point totals remain at a sluggish four goals and six assists through 25 appearances.

Jan. 21: Ducks winger Brock McGinn underwent successful ACL reconstruction surgery in Los Angeles last week, the team announced. McGinn has a seven-to-nine-month recovery window as a result, ending his 2024-25 campaign and putting his availability for the start of the 2025-26 regular season in jeopardy.

McGinn, a pending unrestricted free agent, last played on Dec. 23 against the Golden Knights. The 30-year-old left that game in the first period after awkwardly twisting his knee while attempting to throw a check. It didn’t appear he’d miss too much time after skating off under his own power and initially being termed day-to-day by the club, but he’ll now finish the season hurt for the third time in his three seasons in Anaheim.

A second-round pick of the Hurricanes back in 2012, McGinn’s tenure in Southern California has been riddled by injuries. He first missed the final four regular season games of the 2022-23 campaign with an upper-body issue after being acquired from the Penguins at the trade deadline in exchange for defenseman Dmitry Kulikov. McGinn then missed over half of the 2023-24 season due to various injuries, including season-ending back surgery in March.

The 6’0″, 187-lb forward also missed seven games earlier this season with a lower-body issue. It’s unclear if the two are related or if a cumulative/re-aggravated knee issue led to such a major procedure being required.

Understandably, the once productive bottom six piece’s production has taken a hit in Anaheim due to his health and the team’s underwhelming roster. He’s managed only seven goals and 14 points in 65 appearances as a Duck since the 2023 trade, averaging 11:38 per game. His eight points in 26 games this year was on pace to be his best offensive showing since posting 22 points in 64 games with Pittsburgh in 2021-22, however.

While McGinn was already going to need to take a pay cut on his expiring $2.75MM AAV on the open market this summer, the injury likely locks him in as a candidate for a PTO in September. He likely won’t be cleared to resume contact until around then, so any interested teams will likely be wary of giving him a guaranteed contract earlier in the summer.

For the Ducks, McGinn’s continued absence leaves a permanent hole in the bottom six. That opening should mean more playing time for fringe youngsters like Sam Colangelo and Nikita Nesterenko in addition to veteran AHL call-ups like Jansen Harkins.

Trevor Zegras Sustained Torn Right Meniscus, Out Six Weeks Following Surgery

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Ducks forward Trevor Zegras underwent surgery today to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. He’s estimated to return to the lineup in six weeks.

Zegras has already missed three games with the injury, which he sustained on Dec. 4 against the Golden Knights. The 23-year-old fell awkwardly following a faceoff in the defensive zone, collapsing on his leg while skating backward away from the dot. He did not return to the game and landed on injured reserve shortly thereafter.

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reported Tuesday that Zegras was seeking a second opinion on how to move forward from the then-undisclosed lower-body issue but evidently quickly decided on surgery. As such, he’ll likely miss a tad more than if he opted to try and rehabilitate the tear without a surgical procedure, but carries far less risk for re-injury. The team anticipates his knee will return to full strength when he’s back in the lineup shortly before the season pauses for the 4 Nations Face-Off, Eric Stephens of The Athletic relays.

Zegras will now miss significant time for the second season in a row with a lower-body issue, even if it’s not as long of an absence as initially feared. The 2019 ninth-overall pick missed 20 games in the early going last year with an undisclosed LBI before undergoing ankle surgery in January that cost him another 31 contests.

Those injuries largely offered an explanation for Zegras’ poor production last season, even when he was in the lineup. His 15 points in 31 games worked out to a 40-point pace over a full season, a stark downturn from the career-best 23 goals and 65 points he’d put up the year before. It’s been more of the same in 2024-25, managing just 10 points in 24 games before landing on the shelf. He’s averaging 16:57 per game as he’s bounced around the top nine, the lowest since his rookie season, and he’s also logged a career-worst 45.5 CF% at even strength.

Zegras is the second Ducks forward to undergo meniscus surgery in the first few months of the campaign, joining fellow top-nine piece Robby Fabbri on IR. While neither had been particularly productive in the early going – Fabbri had only two goals in 14 games before getting hurt – it’s still not an easy thing to swallow for a Ducks team scoring 2.37 goals per game, second-worst in the league.

A six-week return timeline puts Zegras back in the lineup on Jan. 23 against the Penguins, meaning he’s slated to likely miss another 20 games while recovering. The New York native is in the second season of a three-year, $17.25MM deal.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Trevor Zegras Seeking Second Opinion On Knee Injury

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The Ducks will be without the services of forward Trevor Zegras for the foreseeable future after suffering a knee injury last week.  After undergoing testing recently, it appears there is still some potential ambiguity regarding how much time he’ll miss.  Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (Twitter link) that Zegras is seeking second opinions on what the best process will be to treat the injury, adding a more concrete timeline for how long he’ll be out for could come in the next day or two.

Last season was a rough one for Zegras.  Contract talks dragged out, causing him to miss most of training camp and the preseason and he got off to a slow start that he never really recovered from.  The 23-year-old missed considerable time with two significant injuries, limiting him to just 31 games where he underwhelmed with six goals and nine assists.

Nonetheless, after a summer of trade speculation, there was optimism that Zegras would be able to have a bounce-back year in 2024-25.  Unfortunately for both him and the Ducks, that hasn’t really happened.  Through 24 games this season, he has four goals and six assists in a little under 17 minutes a night of playing time.

With this report, it seems likely that Zegras won’t be adding to those numbers anytime soon.  Often in these instances, the second opinion sought will be in the hopes of rehabbing an injury over undergoing a surgical procedure that would take considerably longer to recover from.

It’s worth noting that Zegras only has one year left on his bridge deal after this one, an agreement that carries a $5.75MM cap charge and qualifying offer along with arbitration eligibility.  If his absence winds up being a long-term or season-ending one, there will be even more question marks around him heading into the 2025 offseason.

Ducks To Place Trevor Zegras On IR, Activate Brock McGinn

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12/7: Zegras will undergo additional testing on Monday to determine how long he’ll miss, per Sporstnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Saturday Headlines. This could be a chance to learn more about what seemed to be a low-contact injury. Zegras underwent surgery in January to repair a fracture in his left ankle – the same ankle that he seemed to injure on Wednesday – though it’s unclear if the two injuries are related in any way.

12/6: Trevor Zegras’ game-ending injury from a few nights ago will now extend over at least a week. The depth chart manager for The Hockey News and PuckPedia reported that the Anaheim Ducks would place Zegras on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and activate Brock McGinn (X Link).

Zegras quickly left partway through the second period of Wednesday’s contest and couldn’t put any weight on one of his legs. The Anaheim youngster finished the game with a -1 rating over 6:08 of ice time.

There have been no further updates regarding the severity of Zegras’ injury. Still, it was expected he wouldn’t play in the Ducks’ next game after Derek Lee of The Hockey News reported he wasn’t at practice this morning. Zegras will only miss two games should he miss the minimum seven days on the injured reserve. It may be a chance for him to reset on the season as the former 65-point scorer only has four goals and 10 points through 24 contests this year.

McGinn’s return to the active roster might not be Anaheim’s only positive injury development. Lee also shared that Robby Fabbri was back on the ice for the team’s practice this morning despite being on week three of a six-week recovery timeline. Lee’s fellow writer at The Hockey News, Patrick Present, additionally reported that Leo Carlsson was back on the ice in a non-contact jersey.

Anaheim has had a fair number of injury concerns through the first quarter of the 2024-25 NHL season but that appears to be ending soon. The Ducks are on a pathway toward a fully healthy lineup in the coming weeks combined with today’s acquisition of defenseman Jacob Trouba from the New York Rangers.

Pacific Notes: Zegras, Terry, Kartye

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The Anaheim Ducks are looking for a bounceback year from forward Trevor Zegras after an offseason of trade rumors surrounding the youngster. In a lengthy interview with James Murphy of RG.org Anaheim’s head coach, Greg Cronin publicly called out Zegras to add another level to his game.

“It’s like anything. You learn to ride a bike, and you’ve never ridden a bike before, and you get up, and you gotta keep riding it until you learn how to conquer it. The competition for him hasn’t been at the top of the value system – and I don’t mean he doesn’t compete at all – but does he compete in those areas where he’s not really comfortable competing? Like net-front battles or wall battles. He’s so skilled and talented that he can use his stick as a tool to create offense. So, we’re just asking him to be a little stiffer in those areas I identified“.

It may be a make-or-break year for Zegras as the young forward has struggled to respond positively to Cronin’s system. Zegras was limited by injuries in the 2023-24 season but only scored six goals and 15 points in 31 contests. The 2024-25 season will mark a transitionary period for the Ducks as the organization’s young prospects are fully expected to carry most of the responsibility. Zegras’ competition level in the upcoming season, or lack thereof, may lead Anaheim to pull the trigger on a trade.

Other Pacific notes:

  • The Ducks will be without their first-line right-winger for the next few days as Derek Lee of The Hockey News reports Troy Terry is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury. There shouldn’t be any concern about his availability for Anaheim’s regular season opener but he has not been on the ice for the past few days. Terry has been one of the most consistent forwards for the Ducks during their rebuild finishing first or second on the team in scoring over the last three years.
  • There are no concerns for Seattle Kraken forward Tye Kartye who took a maintenance day this afternoon while dealing with a minor ailment (X Link). Kartye is developing into a strong depth scorer for the Kraken after winning the AHL’s Rookie of the Year in 2022-23. He finished his rookie campaign last year with 11 goals and 20 points in 77 games and is again expected to fill an important role in Seattle’s bottom-six.

Snapshots: Draisaitl, Zegras, Lee, Preseason Schedule

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Leon Draisaitl’s recent eligibility to sign a contract extension will be one of the bigger storylines late in the offseason, but it doesn’t appear there’s much of anything new to report since Stan Bowman took over the reins as general manager a couple of weeks ago, the executive said to NHL.com’s Derek Van Diest.

“I had a good conversation (with Draisaitl’s agent Mike Liut) and we’re starting things off and the timing on that will be what it will be,” Bowman said. “I don’t have an update of where it’s going to be or the timing on that, but there is nothing negative to report, certainly.”

The initial contact between Bowman and Draisaitl’s camp reignites extension talks that began back in June with acting GM Jeff Jackson. Draisaitl’s European-based agent, Jiri Poner, told a German news outlet early last month that the ball was in Edmonton’s court to make a competitive offer. Things seem on a slow but positive track for the German superstar, who’s coming off a 41-goal, 106-point campaign in 2023-24.

Here’s more from around the league:

  • Ducks forward Trevor Zegras has continued to draw trade interest from around the league this summer, and some speculated a return to his New York home could be in the cards. That doesn’t appear to be the case, though, as Arthur Staple of The Athletic said in a recent mailbag that he doesn’t “think the Rangers have ever been interested in Zegras, much as the local kid would love to be a Ranger.”
  • There have been questions about Islanders captain Anders Lee’s future with the club after a trying campaign that saw him limited to 20 goals and 37 points in 81 games, his lowest offensive output in a healthy season since 2015-16. But it appears the 34-year-old is here to stay for the final two years of his contract at a $7MM cap hit, GM Lou Lamoriello told Staple. “You’re talking about a consummate pro: high integrity, high character, team first,” Lamoriello said. “I’d say he was one of our better players in the playoffs. That should answer any questions you might have — how he responded to whatever role he was asked to play.”
  • We’re just 46 days away from NHL hockey returning to laptops, radios and TVs. The league announced its complete composite preseason schedule today, which will kick off on Sep. 21 with a trio of games involving the Penguins and Sabres, the Blues and Stars, and the Wild and Jets. The Utah Hockey Club will take the ice for the first time in preseason action the following day, hosting the Blues for a neutral site game in Des Moines, Iowa. The preseason will run for two weeks, drawing to a close on Oct. 5.

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